Ashburnham man charged with trying to kill his wife

GARDNER — An Ashburnham man is being held without bail after being charged with kidnapping, assaulting and attempting to murder his wife.

Richard Lincoln Stiles, 61, of 238 Sunset Lake Road, Ashburnham, is charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery, breaking and entering in the daytime to commit felony, intimidating a witness and home invasion. He was arraigned Monday in Gardner District Court, where Judge Arthur Haley III ordered him held without bail until a probable cause hearing Feb. 21.

According to police reports filed with court documents, at 9:51 a.m. Sunday an Ashburnham dispatcher received a 911 call but was unable to speak to anyone. The dispatcher could hear male and female voices through the telephone. The dispatcher said the woman was heard to say, "Let me go," "The phone is off," and "Lincoln, let me go."

When police arrived, they walked onto a side porch and could see a woman inside, sitting at the bottom of a stairway. The woman was calling, "Help me." The woman was Mr. Stiles' wife. She had her hands restrained behind her back and ankles handcuffed. She had blood around her mouth and complained of injuries to her head, back and mouth.

The victim told police that at 9:20 that morning Mr. Stiles entered the house as she was getting ready to leave for work. She told police he grabbed the front of her jacket and threw her into a wall at the corner of the hallway, causing her head to hit the wall. At that point, the victim was able to call police and then quickly placed the phone in her coat pocket with an open line.

The victim said Mr. Stiles then walked her to the second-floor apartment where she lived and used her keys to enter the apartment. He pushed her to the floor, and after arguing with her, pushed her down a back set of stairs, causing her to fall to the bottom of the stairway. At that point, she realized she was missing front teeth and her mouth was bleeding.

At the bottom of the stairs, the victim told police, Mr. Stiles jumped on her back and punched her in the rib cage. He then pulled her hands behind her back and tied them with soft restraints. Then he put metal handcuffs on her ankles.

While straddling her, he pulled a scarf tight around her mouth and neck and used his hand to cover her mouth and nose, making it difficult for her to breathe. The victim said that while he was choking her, he said, "You'll just pass out and they will find you here."

After being placed under arrest, Mr. Stiles told police he did not try to kill his wife and that he wouldn't hurt her. He also said he told her, "Don't push it."

Contact George Barnes at george.barnes@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @georgebarnesTG